Mumbai: A long queue of people was seen outside Bharatgas Agency in Mumbai's Chembur on Saturday, April 4, to refill or collect their LPG cylinders. This long queue comes amid a time when the Centre has repeatedly assured that there is an adequate availability of petrol, diesel, LPG, and PNG across the country. Mumbai Police Constable Arun Anmol Siroskar, present at the site, said that nearly 200-300 people have been standing in line since 5 am for cylinder.
What led to the long queue?
While speaking to IANS, the constable informed that about 50-70 tokens were distributed to people for cylinder, but today they did not get cylinder. Plus, the agency is saying that there is some issue with their system, due to which today the chaos happened.
The constable added that the agency informed people who got the token yesterday and also received OTP, can come on Sunday to collect the cylinder, or they will get it delivered to their home.
He also informed that since 5 am this morning, about 200-300 people have been waiting for their cylinder, and none got any. People are suffering as they are unable to cook food.
When asked about the issue of black marketing, he added that "If we get a report about the black marketing of the cylinders, we will take action, and a complaint can be filed by anyone."
Not just Chembur, recently, a sharp shortage of 5-kg LPG cylinders, triggered by ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Gulf regions, has begun to severely impact daily life in Bhiwandi. The crisis has left hundreds of workers struggling to secure basic cooking fuel, forcing many to queue up outside gas agencies from midnight. Labourers reportedly were lining up as early as midnight, marking their spots and even sleeping on roadsides to ensure they do not lose their turn.
The shortage has also disrupted basic living conditions. With LPG unavailable, cooking at home has become increasingly difficult.
Illegal Cylinder Crackdown
Earlier, on April 3, the Civil Supplies Department cracked down on illegal gas cylinder hoarding in Vashi, seizing goods worth Rs 13.91 lakh and arresting two accused who were allegedly attempting to sell cylinders at inflated rates amid a supply shortage.
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